It's been an incredible year! A year that has been nothing short of extraordinary. Grab your seat belts, because we're about to embark on a rollercoaster of memories, achievements, and lessons learned. I started the year with so much uncertainty, but my confidence was only in God.

My year started out with a couple of resolutions, just like yours did too😊. 

Learning & Development 

2. I had the goal of reading 12 non-academic books (self-help and spiritual) this year. I finally did it! If you have read my previous yearly reviews, you will know how I have struggled to stay consistent with reading. I usually would start but never finish, but I broke that jinx this year 💃💃💃💃. These books transformed me mentally, spiritually, and socially. 

One thing I did differently that really helped me was explore a lot of reading options. I read some books in hard copy, some in e-copy, and others in audio. I sometimes combined the audiobook and the e-copy. This changed my reading game. Another hack I discovered was dropping any book I wasn’t  getting along with. It happened with one book I read halfway through; reading it came with so much struggle. It is important you enjoy what you’re reading  because excitement builds the momentum necessary for reading.

3. I finally addressed the elephant in the room. I wrote my temporary driver's license exam, passed it, and got my temporary license. I also learned how to drive this year, guys 💃💃💃💃. This is a great achievement for me because I have procrastinated since 2019. 

Mindset Transformation

4. I resolved in my heart that for all the semesters left in  my masters program, I would make a 4.0 GPA in each of them. Excitedly, I made a 4.0 in the two semesters of this year. When I made this resolution, it felt unreal to me. Even though I had said it, my mind had not yet caught it. I underwent a mindset transformation at the beginning of the year, and this helped set the pace of my year. I am so grateful this transformation happened.

5. One of my objectives was to ace the comprehensive exam for my Masters degree. As the day was drawing closer, I got so tense. It finally happened in May 2023. I passed one set of the exam and failed the other. This news came with so many mixed feelings. I was happy, sad, and scared. I had just one attempt left to ace the second set of the exam. I finally took the second set of exams in October, and guess what? I aced the exam. It was the most exciting news I received in October. My reaction was wild; I recall running around my class and rolling on the floor. I was just saying Thank You, Jesus!!!

Creativity

6. If you don't already know, I am creative, and one way I express this part of me is through graphic design. I had multiple opportunities to create amazing products this year. I designed two distinctive t-shirts for my church and my church anniversary magazine (this was a huge milestone for me). I became a member of the student organization where I majored in designing (Student of Color in Business). I held the position of Marketing Director. I explored a lot and learned so much. One lesson I read from "The Go-Giver" has made me very conscious of every design I do, and that is to always give more value. I am excited that I stretched my boundaries this year. See my portfolio. I also won a creative award in my school for an artwork I presented. It was a defining moment for me 😊. 

Habit Stacks Up

7. As the saying usually goes, "Habit stacks up". I experienced this firsthand this year in two ways. Firstly, I decided to take my personal hygiene routine to the next level. I decided to start intentionally brushing twice daily (morning and night before bed). At first, it was difficult. I designed an A4 poster (shown below) and pasted it on my bedside. The message on the poster was all I needed to hear. Sometimes I have already laid on my bed to sleep, then I see the poster. Immediately, I would have to go brush my teeth. It finally became a part of me, and all through the year, I have kept this routine at least 95% of the time.

Secondly, I decided to upgrade my career path. During the summer, I decided to take a course on SQL. I started it but then stopped. My accountability partners held me to it. I recall how one of my accountability partners made me realize that it was a very important skill in the industry I was going into and also made me see the ripple effect it would have on my life as a person. Then I decided I would study for 2 hours every day. I printed a 30-day challenge calendar and pasted it on my wall. Every day I completed the hours, I would mark that day as completed. I did this for about 16 days out of 30 days. Although I didn't finish the duration I planned, the proficiency I developed over this period helped me land my dream job (data analyst) on campus a few months later. You can get a copy of the 30-day  challenge calendar for yourself here.

Unwinding, Travel & Adventure

8. While crushing goals, meeting deadlines, and being productive are important, it is also important to rest, catch your breath, and just unwind. I have realized that this is  an important part of being productive. No wonder the popular saying states that "all work and no play make Jack a dull boy." I found a hobby this year, which is playing badminton. I find it so refreshing. I also explored card games, board games, and Jenga. I also had a couple of friends come over to my house. I visited some parks and saw a couple of movies.

9. I visited one new states this year (Georgia making it three states visited)  and, in total, I visited five cities (Columbus, Detroit, Atlanta, Dallas and Houston) in the United States. In the new year, I hope to visit more states. .

Health

10. This year, I decided to take my health more seriously. I wanted to work out more. For the first half of the year, I was so inconsistent, but for the other half, I became consistently personified 💪💪💪😄😄. This year, I stayed more consistent with my workout than I have ever been  in previous years. I saw the result. It made me very agile, prevented unnecessary body pains, and made me happier  and more confident. I also intentionally started drinking a lot of water this year. I always made sure, wherever I was going, I had a bottle of water with me.

Lessons Learned

1. You can achieve anything you want as long as your mind believes it, your heart can see it, you hold on to it strongly, speak about it, and work towards it. It will become a reality.
2. God is too faithful to fail. He wants to lead every area of our lives if only we would submit to his help and leadership. 
3. Having a strong accountability system would help you achieve things you never thought were possible.
4. Every change you will have must first start with your mindset.
5. An African proverb says, "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together." This changed my 2023 game. I found myself in the right circle of friends and network, which helped me so much in being productive. 
6. The quote “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything” by Dwight D. Eisenhower made so much sense to me. Having to plan my day most of the days in 2023 really helped me manage my time. Sometimes those plans didn't pull through in the face of reality, but they were definitely worth it. I practiced time-blocking and added events and tasks to my calendar as well. You can get a copy of the time-blocking planner here
7. Failure is not a final destination, nor does it shape your identity. Instead, it presents a choice: either rise resiliently, brushing off setbacks, or remain on the ground. It's a challenge urging you to persevere and keep moving forward.
8. Never stop dreaming, because dreams come true.
9. Little things always stack up.
10. Always ask for help. 

Conclusion

This year has indeed been a journey. I cried, laughed, was stressed, and was uncertain, but all in all, my trust was in God that He who has started a good work in my life would complete it, and He never failed. I enjoy documenting my yearly journey. It helps me see how far I have come and where I was at different stages of my life. I started this 6 years ago. You can see my 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018 yearly review. 

How was 2023 for you? Would love to know about your experience. 

Thank you so much for reading.